Today's Entertainment

18 • July 5 - 11, 2020 • Brainerd Dispatch By Jessica Gosse TV Media WHAT'S NEW ON NETFLIX "The Old Guard" (2020) Charlize Theron ("Bombshell," 2019) stars as a warrior named Andy who leads a team of im- mortal mercenaries in this action film premiering Friday, July 10, on Netflix. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by famed comic book author Greg Rucka ("Batwoman"), the film follows Andy, Booker (Matthias Schoen- aerts, "The Danish Girl," 2015), Joe (Marwan Kenzari, "Aladdin," 2019) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli, "Don't Be Bad," 2015), who have been protecting the mortal world for centuries while managing to keep the fact that they are unable to die a secret. Now, they discover that a new immortal named Nile (KiKi Layne, "If Beale Street Could Talk," 2018) has awakened and must be brought into the fold. However, while on a mission, the team's secret is exposed, and now they must fight to stop those who hope to exploit their immortality by replicating their power and selling it. "Mucho Mucho Amor" (2020) Described as a combination of Oprah, Liberace and Mr. Rogers, the life of Puerto Rican psychic and astrologer Walter Mercado comes to Netflix in this fascinating documentary premiering Wednes- day, July 8, on the streamer. Known also by his stage name, Shanti Ananda, Mercado was a staple in the Latinx community for decades before he seemingly dis- appeared without a word. Now, documentarians Cristina Costan- tini ("Science Fair," 2018) and Ka- reem Tabsch ("The Last Resort," 2018) shine a light on Mercado's life in seclusion leading up to his death in 2019. The documentary shows Mercado as he discusses his legacy and struggles with the increasing health problems that come with age. It also features in- terviews with many prominent fig- ures in the Latinx community who were close with Mercado, such as Lin-Manuel Miranda ("Mary Pop- pins Returns, " 2018) and Eugenio Derbez ("Overboard," 2018). Learn about the life of this Latinx icon from his humble beginnings as a shy farm boy to his final flam- boyant performance as the great Shanti Ananda with this fascinat- ing new documentary. "Stateless" While many people know Cate Blanchett as the Academy Award- winning actress from "The Avia- tor" (2014), or from one of the many other impressive titles on her resume, what many people aren't as aware of is her passion for activism. Blanchett is actually an ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and she combined her love of acting with her activism to create the new Australian mini- series "Stateless," which debuts Wednesday, July 8, on Netflix. The series is inspired by true stories from an Australian immigration detention center and looks at the lives of four very different people on vastly different paths of life, all of whom end up in the detention center for one reason or another. Sofie (Yvonne Strahovski, "The Handmaid's Tale") is a flight at- tendant who has escaped a subur- ban cult; Cam (Jai Courtney, "Di- vergent," 2014) is a father looking to move on from a dead-end job; Ameer (Fayssal Bazzi, "Down Un- der," 2016) is an Afghan refugee who just wants a fresh start with his family; and Clare (Asher Ked- die, "Offspring") is a government official just trying to do her job. Blanchett has commented that she hopes to create conversation in people's homes about immigra- tion and highlight "the loss of people's identity when they are faced with long-term detention" with this compelling six-part series. "Japan Sinks: 2020" Given the chaos that has occurred in the first half of 2020 — wild- fires, a pandemic, protests, etc. — it seems oddly appropriate for Netflix to be premiering this science fiction disaster series on Thursday, July 9. Based on the 1973 bestselling novel by Sakyo Komatsu, this new anime series follows a family living in Japan when a massive natural disaster strikes. While tsunamis and earth- quakes are relatively common in the island region, the family has never seen anything like this as a series of earthquakes causes the country to literally start sinking. Over the course of this 10-episode series, we see the family struggle to first find each other and then work together to survive the mayhem erupting around them. From director Masaaki Yuasa ("Devilman: Crybaby"), don't miss the premiere of this topical anime series. WHAT'S NEW ON HULU "Palm Springs" (2020) Don't miss the premiere of this unusual romantic comedy when it comes to Hulu on Friday, July 10. Andy Samberg ("Brooklyn Nine- Nine") stars as Nyle, a carefree man attending an upscale wed- ding in Palm Springs. There, he meets Sarah (Cristin Milioti, "How I Met Your Mother"), the bride's (Camila Mendes, "Riverdale") reluctant maid of honor, when he jumps in and saves her increas- ingly awful toast. As the two begin to bond, they inadvertently disrupt the wedding proceedings. While this may sound like a standard rom-com, the film actually takes an existential twist as Nyle and Sarah find themselves trapped in the venue unable to escape the wedding or each other. WHAT'S NEW ON APPLE TV+ "Little Voice" Following the success of her sixth studio album — which earned her a Grammy — and a starring stint on Broadway in the musical "Waitress" — for which she wrote the music and lyrics — singer- songwriter Sara Bareilles lends her musical talents to a new venture as one of the creators of this musical series, premiering Friday, July 10, on Apple TV+. Brittany O'Grady ("Star") takes the lead as Bess King, a twentysomething perform- er struggling to make it as a musi- cian in New York City (which I'm sure is deeply relatable for many dreamers). Described as a "love letter to the diverse musicality of New York," "Little Voice" follows Bess as she struggles to find her voice amidst the chaos of family issues, love interests and rejection. While finding her own voice is hard for Bess, even harder still is finding the courage to use it. Don't miss the premiere of this series, which embodies Bareilles' meaningful lyric "sometimes a little voice can say the biggest things." "Greyhound" (2020) With movie theaters unable to open due to the current pandemic, many major films have had to change their premiere plans, and "Greyhound" is no exception. Originally slated to premiere in theaters over the Father's Day weekend, this World War II drama will instead be premiering Friday, July 10, on Apple TV+. Academy Award winner Tom Hanks ("For- rest Gump," 1994) takes the lead as both the writer and star of this thrilling drama based on author C. S. Forester's "The Good Shep- herd." Set in 1942, the film fol- lows Commander Krause (Hanks), a first-time captain, who is tasked with leading a convoy of Allied ships across the North Atlantic to deliver thousands of young sol- diers to the front lines. As he faces his first crossing of what became known as the "Black Pit," he and his crew have more to handle than just the bitter cold and harsh- ness of the sea. They soon find themselves in a treacherous battle with surrounding Nazi U-boats and must make it to the coast in order to give the Allies a fighting chance. Charlize Theron stars in "The Old Guard" Andy Samberg in "Palm Springs" Brittany O'Grady as seen in "Little Voice"

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